Let’s Practice! (Improved Presentation)
Tom is finally presenting his research in the international conference. Watch the video below to see how much improvement he has made.
Tom gave a much better presentation, didn’t he?
Yes, he did! I was impressed.
Thank you May. I’m pleased.
How different was the second presentation from the first one?
First and foremost, he didn’t read from a script!
By doing so, I was able to make eye contact with the audience.
In addition, he kept his posture straight. May, how was his gesturing?
I liked how he used his hand to introduce Table 1 that showed the number of visitors to major British gardens. It was such a nice way to change the topic.
Good point. Tom, what’s your thought on gesturing?
Well, basically, I gestured naturally. The only thing I paid attention to was to stay away from pointing at the very end of my presentation when I mentioned the handout that had my email on it.
Well done. Did you also pay attention to the way you spoke?
Actually, I did. For example, I meant to change the volume of my speech. I intentionally spoke a bit louder when I moved on to a next slide, such as, ‘Let me start off with an introduction.’
I also realized that you put more stress on some words and phrases.
Yes, I changed the tone of my voice as well in order to emphasize important points.
Very good. How about the rhythm of your talk?
I tried not to rush and spoke slowly when I mentioned something important, such as ‘the potential of British gardens as tourist attractions.’
I think the way you talked highlighted important pieces of information in your presentation.
The volume, the tone of voice, and the rhythm of speech are all matters of so-called “para-language.” Some people count it in as a kind of non-verbal communication skill though we haven’t explored it in this module.
Sounds interesting. I’m going to read some books shown at the end of this module on my own to study para-language.
Finally, how was his outfit?
He looked much smarter than his first presentation!
Phew! That’s a relief.